How to Prepare for B.Ed CET Exams

Name of the exam: B.Ed CET (Bachelor of Education - Common Entrance Test)

Educational qualification: A Bachelors degree from a recognized university or a degree from a correspondence institute

Exam pattern: Objective in nature

Held in the month of: May or June

Language: English or Hindi

Submission of forms: Direct submission or online submission

'Children of today are the citizens of tomorrow.' This is a very old saying, which holds true even today. A nation's future is scripted by the children of today. It is then important that the children are groomed with utmost care, where they become responsible citizens who can take the nation forward. Much of the grooming of a child happens in the schools. The people responsible for grooming the children are often teachers. When the children are handed over to the teachers, they are like wet-clay moulds that can be shaped into any figure of choice. It is then the teachers who inculcate the correct learning in the children so that they grow up to be worthwhile citizens. The teachers, hence, play a very vital role and it is important that teachers are groomed properly so that they are able to justify their role as teachers and impart the right education to the children.

There are different courses that an aspiring teacher can opt for, which will qualify him or her to a teaching job. The most popular of them is the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed).

What is B.Ed?

B.Ed is a postgraduate academic degree which prepares students to work as a teacher in schools. Usually, in India a student with a bachelor's degree can opt for a B.Ed course but in some countries, additional work has to be done in order for the student to be fully qualified to teach.

What is Common Entrance Test (CET)?

CET is an entrance test conducted across India to select the candidates who are eligible to take up the B.Ed course. The exam takes place in different states.

Educational qualification

For candidates who have never taught before

A candidate should have a graduation degree or a Post Graduation degree from a recognized university. The candidates belonging to general category have to ensure that they have a minimum of 50 percent marks.

For candidates with teaching experience

The candidate must have completed a service of 2 years and has to produce an experience certificate citing the same. When we say 2 years service, it must be full-time service in a reputed school.

Examination pattern

Part-A - 25 marks

General English - 25 questions for 25 marks

Part-B - 25 marks

General Knowledge - 15 questions for 15 marks

Teaching Aptitude - 10 questions for 10 marks

Part-C - 100 marks

Here, a candidate has to choose one of the following subjects. The total marks are 100 for 100 questions - one mark each for each question

Mathematics - 100 questions for 100 marks

Physical Sciences - 100 questions for 100 marks

Physics - 50 questions for 50 marks

Chemistry - 50 questions for 50 marks

Biological Sciences - 100 questions for 100 marks

Botany - 50 questions for 50 marks

Zoology - 50 questions for 50 marks

Social Studies - 100 questions for 100 marks

Geography - 35 questions for 35 marks

History - 30 questions for 30 marks

Civics - 15 questions for 15 marks

Economics - 20 questions for 20 marks

English - 100 questions for 100 marks

Note: No matter which subject they choose, Part-A and Part-B are common for all the candidates

Preparing for B.Ed entrance examPart A - General English

This test will assess candidates on their basic understanding of the English language. The test will comprise Reading Comprehension, Correction of Sentences, Articles, Preposition, Tenses, Spelling, Vocabulary, Synonyms, and Antonyms, Transformation of sentences including Direct and Indirect speech, Voices, Simple, Complex and Compound sentences.

Preparation tips

Refer to basic English books, browse through the topics mentioned above and try attempting exercises related to each topic

Take some online tests. There are many English tests available online that will help you judge where you stand

Develop a habit of reading English newspapers on a regular basis. This will help improve vocabulary

Try learning few new words on a daily basis. Also learn their antonyms and synonyms. This way, you would have developed a decent word bank even before you know it

Part - B - General Knowledge & Teaching Aptitude

General Knowledge

This test has been designed in such a manner that it will test the candidate of his General Knowledge, his awareness about the environment and the application of science in daily life. The test would also include questions that will assess the candidate's knowledge about current events, about what is happening in and around the country and the world, about the history, culture, geography, economics, general policies of the country and its neighbouring countries. It will also include questions from economics, ecology and scientific research.

Teaching Aptitude

Here, a candidate will be assessed for his basic teaching skills. To teach, a person must have good communication skills, the knack to deal with children, clear understanding of each child, and of course general analytical skills and intelligence. Hence, the questions in this test will cover all these areas and through this test, an attempt will be made to understand the candidate's teaching aptitude.

Preparation tips

For General Knowledge, you can start following the daily news on television and by regularly reading the newspaper

You can refer to different General Knowledge books

For teaching aptitude, you can refer to various books that are available at book stores and also available online

Part C

The syllabus will be of graduation level for subjects - Mathematics, Physical Sciences (Physics and Chemistry), Biological Sciences (Botany and Zoology), Social Studies (Geography, History, Civics and Economics).

For English, the syllabus will be of graduation level and will also include topics like Language functions, Elements of Phonetics, Grammar, Phrasal Verbs (idioms), Writing skills, Study skills and Reference skills.

Preparation tips:

Understand the syllabus properly and start preparing accordingly

Make a routine and stick to it, such that you are able to prepare for all the topics

Refer to past question papers and try to solve them as much as possible. This way you will know what to expect in the exam

Try to take mock tests. This will help you have a strategy in terms of which questions to tackle first and how to finish the exam on time